Spotted skunks (Spilogale angustifrons) photo-captured following gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) in tropical dry forest in central Mexico

摘要

During a 4-year monitoring investigation of a mammalian community in a tropical dry forest in central Mexico, we photo-captured southern spotted skunks (Spilogale angustifrons) following gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) in 5 occasions. We were interested in disentangling why spotted skunks moved behind with gray foxes. Our objective was to determine activity patterns and distribution of sympatric gray foxes and southern spotted skunks, explore the frequency and timing of their co-occurrences, and infer about the circumstances of this previously unreported association. Camera trapping took place in Mount Tepetroja, within Tehuacan-Cuicatlan biosphere reserve. From 1 May 2013 thru 30 April 2017, with sampling effort of 18,282 trap-days, we obtained 1089 fox records and 21 skunk records; 5 of these records were of a skunk following a fox. Foxes were crepuscular and nocturnal and skunks nocturnal. Peak activity for foxes was mu = 23:17 h (95% CI = 23:01 to 23:32, r = 0.559), whereas for skunks mu = 1:36 h (95% CI = 00:46 to 02:26, r = 0.876). Our results suggested that skunk activity peak was subordinated to fox activity. We inferred that spotted skunks follow gray foxes maybe as an opportunistic behavior to facilitate mitigation of predation risk and enhance foraging.